New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in IndiaCenter of Excellence (BCCI) The Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru is full of activities, and the venue is expecting an influx of contracted and prospective players in the coming week.TimesofIndia.com has learned that around a dozen Indian players are expected to be out of action this weekend for various reasons. While players like Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun ChakrabortyHarshit Rana and Akash Deep are already there, they will join them Washington Sundar and a few others.It is understood that the Test hopefuls have been asked to report for a fitness test before traveling to Sri Lanka next month. Mohammed Siraj is expected to arrive at the venue this week and could be joined by Ravindra Jadeja. Expected players like Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan and Abhishek Porel have already been screened, and the CoE staff is expecting more in the next few days before the players take on their zonal teams in the Duleep Trophy.“Hardik has been training, Reddy is recovering, and Varun and Harshit are being rehabilitated. The team management does not want to take any chances regarding their players ahead of the Sri Lanka Test series. A thorough evaluation will be done, and the selectors will be informed about the condition of the team before they are selected for the two Tests.” says a source following the developments.“The domestic season starts next month, so even the expected players have to be evaluated because there won’t be much time after that,” the source added.As this site reported on July 21, the Indian team is facing fitness issues in preparation for the 2027 World Cup. The last thing the management would want is a major disruption before/during the two crucial Tests next month. Most of the contracted players look to a packed calendar in all formats, as well as the long tour of New Zealand, which includes five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests.There is a home series against the West Indies, the Asian Games and possibly a tour of Bangladesh before the marquee tour. Managers want a team of prepared players because there will be a need to prepare different teams.
